Control mechanism for rotary equipment



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Filed Dec. 19, 1951 INVENTOR l su ATTDRNE Sep. 1956 n. L.. MARTHN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROTARY EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-.Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1951 SOOO. E, 1956 R. l.. MARTMN CONTROL MEOHANISM FOR ROTARY EQUIPMENT L Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed D60. l), 1951 NVENTOR @WM5 Si 9mm/W) Nmn 'BY g) s l npr-N 3 LA n ATTOR EY Sept. 25, 1956 R. 1 MARTIN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROTARY EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 19, 1951 IN VENTOR Unit States Patent CONTRUL MECHANISM FOR ROTARY EQUIPMENT Raymond Latschar Martin, Quarryville, Pa. Application December 19, 1951, Serial No. 262,371 Claims. (Cl. 55-6) My invention relates broadly to tractor operated land rollers and more particularly to a method of controlling the operation of land rollers and a control mechanism for land rollers for governing the rollers speed thereof.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a method of controlling the velocity of rotation of a land roller by driving a fluid pumping unit by the rotation of the land roller and variably loading the pumping unit selectively for correspondingly controlling the velocity of rotation of the land roller.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of land roller having hydraulic means for vari ably controlling the speed of rotation of the roller.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment for land rollers which may be readily applied to existing types of land rollers with slight modifications for accurately controlling the speed of rotation of the roller.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a construction of land roller which employs a small rotary gear pump in association therewith for applying a retarding action to the roller which may be readily Varied to enable the roller to operate in a free rolling condition or with a dragging action.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement of pump which is coupled with a land roller and arranged to supply a shunt line including a throttle valve for variably controlling the rate at which fluid may be pumped through the shunt line and correspondingly controlling the velocity at which the land roller may be rotated.

Another object of my invention is to provide an ar rangement of fluid pumping unit which may be coupled with a land roller and driven simultaneously therewith, where the fluid pumping unit operates into a selectively variable load, the control of which determines the velocity at which the land roller operates.

`Other and further objects of my invention reside in a method of controlling the operation of a land roller as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter fol lowing by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational View of the land roller of my invention showing the speed control mechanism associated therewith; Fig, 2 is a plan view of the roller and associated control mechanism arranged in accord* ance with my invention, the view being foreshortened in order to illustrate the parts on sufficiently large scale to show the coaction of the pumping unit with the roller mechanism; Fig. 3 is a full view plan assembly of the roller and control mechanism arranged in accordance with my invention; Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the clutch sprocket assemblies with the cover plate removed to illustrate the clutch sprocket interposed between each end of the pump operating shaft and the roller mechanism; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on line 5*-5 of liig. 4 with the cover plate shown in juxtaopposed relation to the end of the clutch sprocket;

2,763,974 Patented Sept. 25, 11956 Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View on a reduced scale taken on line 6`6 of Fig. l and illustrating the sprocket and roller assembly, the roller again being foreshortened in order to illustrate the coacting parts with sufficientv clarity; Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the pumping unit and the mounting means therefor with certain of the parts broken away and illustrated in section substantially on line -7 of Fig. 2 for the purpose of explaining the operation of the rotary pump and the throttle valve for variably controlling the loading applied to the roller; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the means for adjusting the chain tension and also the position of the bearings for the rollers; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially on line: 9-9 of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View taken substantially on line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

My invention is directed to a construction of tractor operated land roller and/ or an attachment for land rollers whereby the rotation of the land roller may be variably and selectively controlled. The control of roller action on different acids in agriculture operations is very important, in order to compress and crush cloddy ground for pulverizing the ground to a level even surface ready for seeding or planting. The condition of the soil which is produced by roller action is proportional to roller-speed. The structure of my invention provides means for retard ing the normal roller-speed for creating a semi-rolling and dragging eifect which I have found to be more effective in compressing and crushing cloddy ground. I obtain accurate control of the velocity of the roller by coupling a pumping unit with the roller so that the roller drives the pumping unit. loading the pumping unit which proportionally controls the velocity at which the rollers operate for accurately controlling the rollers speed. I have found that different speeds are desirable for earths of different moisture content and inasmuch as very accurate control of speed is obtainable by the method of my invention as described herein, it has been found to be versatile and efcient' in properly surfacing the soil.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character 1 designates the main frame of the land roller attachment adapted to be connected through tongue 21 with a tractor. The main frame 1 supports longitudinally adjustable bearing plates 14 which are slidable along the opposite interior sides of main frame 1 and longitudinally controllable in position by screws 16 operated from wrench engageable heads 16a at the rear end of the main frame ll, whereby adjustable bearing plates 14 are shiftable with the slots 15 therein engageable by bolts 15a adjustable from the exterior sides of the main frame. Thus the position of the roller shaft 12 which is journaled in the oilless bearings 13 carried by the adjustable bearing plates 14 is laterally adjustable with respect to the main frame 1, which also compensates for chain l` tension.

The rollers 2 are formed by a multiplicity of sections represented at 2 and 2 where the exterior end plate which supports each roller is substantially flat as represented at 2a in Fig. 6 and the interior end plate is shaped to provide an annular reinforced support as represented at Z'b in Fig. 6. The flat end of each roller represented at 2a in Fig. 6 provides a support for the sprocket 3 which is se# cured thereto by bolt members 3a. The sprocket teeth of sprocket 3 engage sprocket chain 4 which extends over the teeth of the clutch sprocket 5 carried by the end of rotary pump shaft 7 which extends from pump 6.

The pump 6 constitutes a rotary retarding means in the assembly shown. Inasmuch `as the equipment is syminetrieally constructed the same reference characters `have been applied to the coacting parts for each of the rollers I then provide means for variably 2 and 2', so that it will be understood that there are portions of shaft 7 extending in opposite directions from the central position occupied by pump 6. The shaft 7 is double-ended and is rotatably journaled in spaced bearings 8 which are mounted on longitudinally extending spaced bridge bar s 9 forming part of an internally disposed frame structure mounted within said main frame 1, the shaft 7 extending from spaced positions `along the front of the main frame 1 and spaced positions on cross-bar 10 as represented at 10a. The cross-bar 10 is provided with angular portions 11 at opposite `ends thereof of which are secured byrbolts 11a to the sides of the main frame 1. Thus a solid support is provided for pump shaft 7.

The pump 6 in the arrangement illustrated is a rotary gear pump having a pair of intermeshed toothed rotors 6a and 6b mounted in the flow path for oil through casing 6 entering at intake port 6c and discharging at discharge port 6d. The intake port 6c connects with the reservoir 18 through which oil flows in a closed path through the loop 22 from the intake end 18a of the reservoir to the discharge end 18b of the reservoir. The direction of flow for the oil is indicated by the arrows. The closed loop 22 includes the throttle valve 17 which is manually adjustable at control handle 17a for controlling the rate of flow of the oil through the gear pump and through the loop 22. By adjusting the throttle valve 17 to a very small opening set 17b the load on the gear pump 6 is very greatly increased, so that pump operates as a drag on pump shaft 7 as clutch sprockets are revolved under control of sprocket chains 4 driven by sprockets 3 as roller 2 and 2 revolve. The clutch sprockets 5 are shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5 and include a sleeve 7a attached to pump shaft 7. The sleeve 7a carries a clutch member 7b which revolves within the interior of the housing of clutch sprocket 5 which is provided with clutch faces 5a, 5b `and 5c which engage the clutch member 7b for driving pump shaft 7. Sufficient lost motion and clearance is provided to allow clutch member 7b to slide transversely within sleeve 7a and within the limits of recesses 5a', 5b and 5c' by the clutch faces 5a, 5b and 5c to insure the driving of pump shaft 7 from rollers 2 and 2' while allowing suicient play in the drive system to insure against breakage of any of the driving components. A cover plate 7c is secured to the end face of the sleeve 7a by bolt members indicated more clearly at 7d in Figs. l and 2.

The pumping unit is supported on cross-bar by means of a clamp 19 which grips the casing of pump 6 as represented more clearly in Fig. 7. The casing of the pump 6 is shown as having opposite projections 6c and 6d thereon which are engageable by clamp 19 and the set screw 20 therein. Clamp 19 is substantially U-shaped and extends vertically and is fastened by bolts 19a to the crossbar 10 with opposite side portions extending substantially horizontally and embracing the opposite projections 6c and 6d on the casing 6 of the pump 6 as shown. Set screw 20 secures the casing 6 in a firm position centrally of the front of the main frame 1. By reason of this construction the entire pumping unit may be readily attached and detached with respect to a conventional land roller for controlling the rolling action. Moreover, the adjustable clamp 19 facilitates the installation of the pumping unit on original equipment on a production line so that the entire apparatus is ready for operation upon delivery to a customer.

The fact that the rotary gear pump may be variably loaded by adjusting the oil flow through throttle valve 17 inv closed loop 22 insures the precision control of the velocity of rollers 2 and 2. The entire pumping unit is dust-proof and oil may be fed by gravity from reservoir 18 directly above the pump 6 and pumped vertically through the closed loop 22 and throttle valve 17 where it is returned to reservoir 18 through intake connection 18a for recycling through the pumping system. The retarding effect upon the oil flow path produces a proportional dragging efect on the rollers 2 and 2. Thus by loading the rotary gear pump a braking effect is applied to rollers 2 and 2 creating greater crushing effect on cloddy ground surfaces. The degree of drag which is impressed upon rollers 2 and 2 is controlled with exactitude by controlling the position of throttle valve 17.

The clutch sprockets 5 illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 insure the differential action of the rollers 2 and 2 upon the pump shaft 7 for compensating for the movement of the rollers while proceeding in curves or making short turns over the ground. The differential action is imparted to the pump shaft 7 by virtue of the fact that each drum or roller 2, Z' is individually rotatably journaled on the supporting shaft 12.

It will be understood that any form of hydraulic pumping unit may be employed to produce the selective control and braking effect required for the operation of the equipment and of my invention, and I have referred to oil as the fluid medium merely for illustrative purposes.

The main frame 1 of the rolling equipment of my invention constitutes a chassis formed by front and end horizontally extending members interconnected by side members where the sections 2 and 2 of the rollers are journaled adjacent the rear of the chassis while the variably controlled pumping unit is supported adjacent the front of the chassis. This arrangement enables the rear frame member of the chassis to provide a support for adjustable scraper' or doctor blades shown at 23 and 23a. rThe blades are provided with slots shown at 24, 25 27 and 28. The slots 2li, 25 and StZ-33 coact with adjustable bolts 29, 30, 32 and 33 which extend through the end frame member of the chassis to enable the scraper blades to be advanced or retracted with respect to the surface of the rollers. The inner ends of blades 23 and 23a terminate adjacent each other, as shown` at 26 where they are supported by bolt 31. l may provide one continuous blade for both rollers instead of scc-V tionalizing the blade.

The apparatus as described herein has been found very practical and efficient in operation, but l realize that modifications in detail and arrangement of the mechanism may be made and I desire that it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. Rolling equipment comprising a chassis forming a main frame, bearings mounted interiorly of each side of said main frame, a roller shaft journaled in said bearings, a hydraulic pump supported adjacent the front of said main frame in a central position aligned with the longitudinal axis thereof, said hydraulic pump including coacting rotary elements, each revolving on axes parallel with the axis of said roller shaft, input and output connections for said pump, a closed circuit fluid load connected with said input and output connections, a laterally extending rotatably journaled shaft projecting on opposite sides of said pump from the central position thereof, roller means carried by said roller shaft, and symmetrically disposed means for differentially driving opposite ends of said laterally extending rotatably journaled shaft from said roller means.

2. Rolling equipment as set forth in claim l, which includes an internally disposed frame structure mounted adjacent the forward end of said main frame, said frame structure including, a cross-bar extending transversely of said main frame and longitudinally extending spaced bridge bars secured between said transversely extending cross-bar and the forward end of said main frame, said spaced bridge bars carrying means for journaling said laterally extending rotatably journaled shaft.

3. Rolling equipment as set forth in claim l, which includes an internally disposed front frame structure mounted adjacent the forward end of said main frame, said frame structure including a cross-bar extending transversely between the side members of said main 5 frame and a clamp embracing a portion of said hydraulic pump and connected with said cross-bar at substantially the center thereof for supporting said hydraulic pump with respect to said main frame in symmetrical relation to said roller means.

4, Rolling equipment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hydraulic pump is housed in a casing which has a pair of oppositely extending projections thereon and wherein there is an internally disposed frame structure mounted adjacent the forward end of said main frame, said frame structure including fa cross-bar extending transversely between the side members of said main frame and a substantially U shaped bracket secured centrally of said cross-bar and having end portions extending horizontally in positions embracing ythe projections on said casing and adjustable means associated with one of said end portions for adjustably clamping said casing in position centrally of the forward end of said main frame.

5. Rolling equipment comprising a chassis forming a main frame, an internally disposed frame structure 20 mounted adjacent the front of said main frame, shiat members journaled laterally of said frame structure, means for applying diterential rotary forces to said shaft members, a rotary pump detachably mounted centrally of said frame structure interiorly of said main frame and adjacent the front thereof said rotary pump including a pair of coacting revolving elements operating on axes transversely of said main frame, said pump having an upwardly extending intake connection and a downwardly extending discharge connection, a reservoir having a discharge connection supported on said intake connection and extending on a vertical. axis above said pump an intake connection adjacent fthe top of said reservoir in vertical alignment with said discharge connection, and a conduit extending in a closed path from the discharge connection of said pump around the exterior of the front of said main frame and connected with the intake connection at the top of said reservoir, and an adjustable valve included in said conduit for controlling lthe rate of tlow of fluid through said pump and around said conduit and through said reservoir for corresponding controlling the rotative resistance of said pump to the differential forces applied thereto from said shaft members.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 618,400 Dieter Jan. 31, 1899 809,716 Miller Jan. 9, 1906 1,301,226 Cady Apr. 22, 1919 1,348,119 Kalivoda July 27, 1920 1,655,844 Roach Ian. 10, 1928 1,717,476 Topping June 18, 1929 1,770,796 Miles July 15, 1930 2,106,493 Byers Jan. 25, 1938 2,614,375 Calkins Oct. 21, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 604,853 France Feb. 6, 1926 

